Matt Chelf ‘23
Aug. 13, 2024 — Matt Chelf, a 2023 graduate of the University of Houston Law Center, reflects on his upcoming one-year anniversary as an associate attorney at Hunton Andrews Kurth LLP, specializing in commercial real estate transactions.
Among his first accomplishments was assisting in the $450 million acquisition of the mixed-use development known as the River Oaks District by high-profile client, Fertitta Entertainment.
“At Hunton Andrews Kurth, I have been very fortunate to work alongside some of the most brilliant people I’ve ever met,” Chelf said. “I spent both of my law school summers here, now I am a first-year attorney in our real estate practice group. Even as a junior associate, I’ve gotten to play a role on some very interesting deals.”
“A large part of what I do revolves around performing diligence on the properties that our clients are negotiating to purchase. I review leases, surveys, title commitments, deed restrictions and more to make sure that there won’t be any surprises for our clients after closing. Perhaps my favorite part of our practice is the business organizations component. Forming the various joint ventures, limited partnerships and limited liability companies that will be used to hold and operate the property and figuring out how those entities slot into the pre-existing organizational structure of our clients is like solving a puzzle.”
Upon completing his undergraduate education at Baylor University, Chelf quickly realized he had interests that extended beyond his public relations major. He gravitated toward real estate, with longstanding ties and previous experience in the industry.
“I feel like I grew up in a real estate office,” Chelf said. “My father is a residential Realtor in Houston, and I spent a lot of time as a kid in his office. Initially, that time was spent selling Boy Scout popcorn to the sales agents and the broker. When I got to high school, I started to work at the brokerage’s front desk during the summer. In college, I worked as the assistant to a real estate photographer in Waco. When I stopped to really think about what I wanted to do for a career, all the roads seemed to lead back to real estate.”
Chelf and his father, Victor Chelf, established the Chelf Realty Team at Coldwell Banker and recruited other agents to join their organization. Many of their clients were first-time homebuyers.
“I had a blast working as a Realtor in Houston for around five years,” Chelf said. “I particularly enjoyed fiercely advocating for my clients while guiding them through the complexities of a sale that for many of them was the biggest purchase they had ever made. Negotiating the deal was always a thrill. All of these interests and skills translate directly into my current work.”
Over time however, Chelf’s real estate ambitions grew into something larger, which led him to pursue a legal education at the Law Center.
“I wanted to be able to color outside the lines of the promulgated forms that Realtors use for residential home sales, but I also had a vision of selling skyscrapers or hotels rather than townhouses or apartments,” Chelf said. “When I looked into the structure of those deals, I found that lawyers, rather than real estate brokers, often ironed out the details. Better yet, they got to change the form. After that, it was off to the races. I’m proud to have stayed in Houston and to have graduated from the Law Center.”
Chelf said that having a background knowledge of real estate and contract concepts, like understanding option contracts and title commitments, helped to boost his confidence as a law student and as a practicing attorney.
“But there is still so much to learn in law school,” he said. “The breadth of topics covered is wide. As a result, any advantage that I might have had in a class like contracts, a peer of mine who had worked in policy or studied political science might have had in classes like statutory interpretation or constitutional law. I do think that having taken some time to be in the workforce between undergrad and law school has significant advantages, regardless of the field. When learning the law through cases, it’s very helpful to have a base understanding of how the world works.
“It’s hard enough deciphering the meaning of some of the cases, and it can be even harder when you’re also trying to figure out what the business of the parties was. That work experience is also helpful when beginning to practice, even if only from a soft skills standpoint. Incorporating feedback, email etiquette and timeliness are skills that are best honed on the job.”
Serving as a co-host and editor on the Emphasis Added podcast and working for the Houston Law Review are among Chelf’s favorite memories as a Law Center student. While working on the podcast during its fourth season, it focused on helping prospective and first-generation law students navigate the complexities of choosing a law school, finding summer employment, and succeeding in those internships; highlighting big picture developments in the law, like major Supreme Court decisions or newsworthy mergers and highlighting legal issues that hit close to home for Houstonians.
“The podcast has evolved quite a bit in its short history,” Chelf said. “We did an episode on eminent domain and affordable housing with a focus on upcoming Houston developments, and episodes on the energy transition and international petropolitics. My favorite part of editing the podcast was engaging with our guests on topics that they were deeply passionate about. We hosted a variety of professors and professionals, and it’s both fun and rewarding to provide an expert in their field with an avenue to express themselves on topics that get them excited.”
Though he remembers that working on the journal was difficult in the moment, Chelf looks back fondly on his time on the Law Review as a whole. “Editing an academic journal is rigorous, but overall it may have been the best preparation that I received for my career,” Chelf reflected. “The skills I honed while working on the Law Review – time management, line by line editing and attention to detail – translate directly into legal work of all kinds. If the opportunity presents itself, I highly recommend joining a journal.”
While Chelf was complimentary of all of his Law Center instructors, three specific professors made a lasting impact on him. They included Cullen Professor of Law David R. Dow, adjunct professor Richard Ginsburg and University of Houston Law Foundation Professor of Law Robert Ragazzo.
“Professor Dow taught my 1L Contracts class, and I had the privilege of being his T.A. as a 3L,” Chelf said. “His class does more than teach first-year students about important concepts in contract law, though admittedly there is some rote memorization involved. The most important part of Professor Dow’s class is that it teaches first-year law students how to think. Many students got to law school by memorizing the bolded information in a textbook and reciting it well on test day, only to promptly purge the information from their brain. The answers in Professor Dow’s class aren’t highlighted and bold in the conclusion of the cases. Oftentimes, back-to-back readings have conflicting conclusions. Students have to learn to stop, think about why something might be, and decide how the tension could be resolved, or if it needs to be. This new way of processing is a fundamental skill for a lawyer.”
If Dow’s courses taught Chelf how to think, Ragazzo’s courses taught him how to work, Chelf said.
“Professor Ragazzo’s courses are notoriously rigorous. He holds his students to a very high standard and demands accountability. The result is twofold: students retain the information from his courses better, and they are more prepared for a workplace where personal accountability for assignments is crucial. I took Professor Ragazzo for civil procedure and securities law, and believe I am a better lawyer because of those experiences,” Chelf continued.
“Finally, I have to shout out Professor Ginsburg and his Advanced Drafting for Corporate Transactions course. It’s no secret that law school curriculum is heavily tilted towards litigation practice. Many students miss the opportunity to learn and practice the skills that transactional attorneys use on a daily basis. While drafting a credit agreement in Professor Ginsburg’s course, students get hands-on practice that is directly applicable to first year practice for any aspiring corporate, finance, or real estate associate.”
Reflecting as an alumnus, Chelf said he thoroughly enjoyed his time at the Law Center and firmly believes that the Law Center prepares its graduates for life as practicing attorneys.
“Law Center graduates are well represented among the ranks of partners and associates at every level of every size law firm in Houston for good reason,” he said.
